Diamonds in their raw state lack lustre and appear like a particularly unattractive translucent gemstone such as a crystal. Cutting and polishing diamonds is what gives them their attractive and highly sought after appearance and enduring brilliance.

At the beginning of the 15th century, diamonds had to be cut and polished by hand as machinery to do the job had not yet been invented. Diamonds were placed in a clam and a chisel was driven into their weakest points in order to cleave them. This was a difficult job and if the wrong part of the diamond was hit, it would almost certainly shatter.

Once the rough diamond had been cleaved, it would be put into an oval shaped cup made from tin. This was known as a ‘dop’. Then a process called ‘bruting’ could take place. This was where the rough diamond would be hit with another diamond in order to remove imperfections.

By the end of the 15th century, a diamond cutting machine known as a scaif was invented. It used a wheel covered in olive oil and diamond dust to grind the diamond into the desired shapes and give it lustre. Another invaluable invention was the diamond cutting saw which allowed the user to cut against the grain of the diamond without breaking it.